The Benefits of Human Resource Certification: A Critical Analysis and Multi-Level Framework for Research

Despite the huge success of marketing certification to human resources (HR) professionals, does it benefit individuals, employers, and the field of HR? We know very little about whether certification has an impact on any important individual- and organizational-level outcomes. This article provides a brief history of HR certification and its purported benefits. Then we review the literature on perceptions of HR certification, including a survey we conducted with about 190 HR professionals. Finally, we present a multi-level model of hypothesized HR certification effects. In this conceptual framework, which unifies both micro and macro levels of analyses (i.e., individual, unit, organization, and profession), we derive 13 testable propositions to guide future research on the benefits of HR certification.HR certification, Multi-Level Framework for Research

Using multilevel modeling and mixed methods to make theoretical progress in microfoundations for strategy research

The microfoundations research agenda presents an expanded theoretical perspective because it considers individuals, their characteristics, and their interactions as relevant variables to help us understand firm-level strategic issues. However, microfoundations empirical research faces unique challenges because processes take place at different levels of analysis and these multilevel processes must be considered simultaneously. We describe multilevel modeling and mixed methods as methodological approaches whose use will allow for theoretical advancements. We describe key issues regarding the use of these two types of methods and, more importantly, discuss pressing substantive questions and topics that can be addressed with each of these methodological approaches with the goal of making theoretical advancements regarding the microfoundations research agenda and strategic management studies in general

The anatomy of an award-winning meta-analysis:Recommendations for authors, reviewers, and readers of meta-analytic reviews

Meta-analyses summarize a field's research base and are therefore highly influential. Despite their value, the standards for an excellent meta-analysis, one that is potentially award-winning, have changed in the last decade. Each step of a meta-analysis is now more formalized, from the identification of relevant articles to coding, moderator analysis, and reporting of results. What was exemplary a decade ago can be somewhat dated today. Using the award-winning meta-analysis by Stahl et al. (Unraveling the effects of cultural diversity in teams: A meta-analysis of research on multicultural work groups. Journal of International Business Studies, 41(4):690-709, 2010) as an exemplar, we adopted a multi-disciplinary approach (e.g., management, psychology, health sciences) to summarize the anatomy (i.e., fundamental components) of a modern meta-analysis, focusing on: (1) data collection (i.e., literature search and screening, coding), (2) data preparation (i.e., treatment of multiple effect sizes, outlier identification and management, publication bias), (3) data analysis (i.e., average effect sizes, heterogeneity of effect sizes, moderator search), and (4) reporting (i.e., transparency and reproducibility, future research directions). In addition, we provide guidelines and a decision-making tree for when even foundational and highly cited meta-analyses should be updated. Based on the latest evidence, we summarize what journal editors and reviewers should expect, authors should provide, and readers (i.e., other researchers, practitioners, and policymakers) should consider about meta-analytic reviews

Is there a credibility crisis in strategic management research? Evidence on the reproducibility of study findings

Recent studies report an inability to replicate previously published research, leading some to suggest that scientific knowledge is facing a credibility crisis. In this essay, we provide evidence on whether strategic management research may itself be vulnerable to these concerns. We conducted a study whereby we attempted to reproduce the empirical findings of 88 articles appearing in the Strategic Management Journal using data reported in the articles themselves. About 70% of the studies did not disclose enough data to permit independent tests of reproducibility of their findings. Of those that could be retested, almost one-third reported hypotheses as statistically significant which were no longer so and far more significant results were found to be non-significant in the reproductions than in the opposite direction. Collectively, incomplete reporting practices, disclosure errors, and possible opportunism limit the reproducibility of most studies. Until disclosure standards and requirements change to include more complete reporting and facilitate tests of reproducibility, the strategic management field appears vulnerable to a credibility crisis

How to conduct valid social science research using MTurk – a checklist

The use of Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk) for social science research has increased exponentially in recent years. Although there is great excitement about the practical and logistical benefits, there is justifiable skepticism about the validity of research using data collected with MTurk. In this post, Herman Aguinis, Isabel Villamor, and Ravi S. Ramani provide 10 actionable best-practice recommendations and a checklist that can serve as a catalyst for more robust, reproducible, and trustworthy MTurk-based research

Methodological challenges and insights for future international business research

Given the diverse, interdisciplinary, and multilevel nature of international business (IB) research, it is critical to address methodological challenges prior to data collection. Thus, we suggest that an ounce of methodological prevention is worth a pound of cure. We describe the following challenges: (1) researching an important and relevant issue; (2) making meaningful theoretical progress; (3) recognizing, anticipating, and resolving dilemmas in research design and execution decisions; (4) integrating quantitative and qualitative research by using mixed methods; and (5) reducing the “distal proxy fallacy” through measurement error management. We then offer specific and actionable recommendations and implementation guidelines for authors, journal editors, and reviewers for addressing each of these methodological challenges with the overall goal of advancing IB theory.Dada la naturaleza diversa, interdisciplinaria y multinivel de la investigación sobre negocios internacionales (IB por sus iniciales en inglés), es esencial abordar los retos metodológicos desde antes de la recolección de datos. Por ello, sugerimos que un gramo de prevención metodológica vale más que una libra de cura. Describimos los siguientes retos: (1) investigar un tema importante y relevante; (2) lograr un progreso teórico significativo; (3) reconocer, anticipar y resolver los dilemas en el diseño de la investigación y las decisiones de ejecución; (4) integrar la investigación cuantitativa y cualitativa mediante el uso de métodos mixtos; y (5) reducir la “falacia de la distancia entre constructos y sus proxies” mediante la gestión de los errores de medición. A continuación, ofrecemos recomendaciones específicas y prácticas, así como directrices de aplicación para los autores, los editores de revistas y los revisores, para abordar cada uno de estos retos metodológicos con el objetivo general de hacer avanzar la teoría de negocios internacionales

Moderation in management research: What, why, when and how.

Many theories in management, psychology, and other disciplines rely on moderating variables: those which affect the strength or nature of the relationship between two other variables. Despite the near-ubiquitous nature of such effects, the methods for testing and interpreting them are not always well understood. This article introduces the concept of moderation and describes how moderator effects are tested and interpreted for a series of model types, beginning with straightforward two-way interactions with Normal outcomes, moving to three-way and curvilinear interactions, and then to models with non-Normal outcomes including binary logistic regression and Poisson regression. In particular, methods of interpreting and probing these latter model types, such as simple slope analysis and slope difference tests, are described. It then gives answers to twelve frequently asked questions about testing and interpreting moderator effects

A Comprehensive and Multi-Purpose Global Research Performance Information System

We develop a research performance information system that compares the volume and impact of peer reviewed business publications by 2720 institutions across 111 countries. We step away from traditional ranking-based ordinal scales, developing a system that facilitates assessment of research performance using methods that are reliably, validly, and transparently

A Multilevel Analysis of Implicit and Explicit CSR in French and UK Professional Sport

Research question: This paper examines the ways in which French and UK professional sports clubs implement and communicate their CSR policies. In addition to identifying similarities and differences between CSR practices in the two countries, our analysis extends and adapts the implicit-explicit CSR framework to the field of sport. Research methods: We used a mixed methods approach to analyse qualitative and quantitative data on the CSR strategies of 66 professional rugby union (Top 14, Aviva Premiership Rugby) and football (Ligue 1, Premier League) clubs over the 2017-2018 season. Results and findings: We found major differences in CSR communication between France and the UK. Communication by French clubs tends to highlight sport’s values, involve few media channels, whereas communication by UK clubs explicitly vaunts their social responsibility and involves numerous channels. In the case of CSR implementation, there are similarities between French and UK clubs, especially in the fields their CSR initiatives cover (e.g., health, diversity), as well as differences. However, the scope of initiatives varies more between sports than between countries, with football demonstrating a more international outlook than rugby. Implications: This article expands Matten and Moon’s (2008) implicit-explicit CSR framework by identifying the influence of interactions between sectorial/field-level factors and national/macro-level factors on CSR practices, and by distinguishing between CSR communication and CSR implementation. Our results throw light on the shift from implicit to explicit CSR in French professional sport

Using review articles to address societal grand challenges

We introduce a special issue of International Journal of Management Reviews that demonstrates how to use review articles to address societal grand challenges—complex, large-scale issues facing humankind, such as climate change, inequality and poverty. First, we argue that review articles possess unique features that make them particularly useful for addressing societal grand challenges. Second, we discuss three distinct but related roles of review articles in addressing societal grand challenges: (1) advancing theoretical knowledge; (2) advancing methodological knowledge; and (3) advancing practical knowledge. We conclude by providing future directions to enhance contributions of review articles for addressing societal grand challenges further by: (a) spanning disciplinary boundaries; (b) engaging practitioners; and (c) using alternative review approaches